With the advent of the "quick foods" industry foods such as potato chips, french fries, fish and chips, fried shrimp, fried onions and many other foods that are deep fried with or without a batter there has arisen a need to protect the cooking oil from becoming rancid and to also fortify the foods cooked in said oils with essential minerals and protect them from becoming rancid. Various formulations of metal salts are used to both fortify and improve the taste of such foods. For example federal regulations require that iron used for the enrichment of foods be in a form that is safe and assimilable. The iron should also be non-magnetic and have excellent stability with the foods with which it is combined.
The changes in aroma from fresh to rancid or stale odors are readily detectable by most observers and such changes should be inhibited or at least slowed down by the usage of bio-available additives which are also beneficial to the body. For example when iron sulfate and other inorganic salts are added to cooking oils (hydrogenated vegetables and animal cooking oils) they readily develop a sharp rancid aroma which is objectable to both the oil and the product produced by the oil. Moreover, such additives are not readily assimilated by the body.